Physical Wellness

New Dietary Guidelines In The US: Cut The Sugar And Increase Veggies

By Jenn Loro | Update Date: Jan 08, 2016 09:02 AM EST

American citizens are bound to get a whole lot of food advice this January as the US Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Health have just rolled out a new set of dietary recommendations concerning sugar, coffee, and fat consumption.

Government officials also pointed out that many of the preventable diseases affecting a huge number of people are actually rooted in unhealthy eating habits.

"Today, about half of all American adults-117 million people-have one or more preventable, chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity," said in the opening statement of the report by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack as mentioned by NBC News.

The update to US dietary guidelines is the federal government's first in five years. With the newly released advice comes good news for people who love coffee, extra sugar, and cholesterol-filled foods.

"Protecting the health of the American public includes empowering them with the tools they need to make healthy choices in their daily lives. By focusing on small shifts in what we eat and drink, eating healthy becomes more manageable...so people can make decisions that may help keep their weight under control, and prevent chronic conditions, like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease," told Burwell as quoted saying by ABC News.

As the federal government's official dietary advice, the guidelines are periodically reviewed, revised, and updated every five years to reflect changes in nutritional science.

While many parts of the guidelines were carried over from previous recommendations, one change is clearly new and concrete. Americans are advised to cut back on their sugar consumption to just 10% of daily calories according to NPR.

In the last five years, nutrition experts discovered a compelling evidence that links increased consumption of sugar to heightened risks of Type 2 diabetes and a number of cardiovascular diseases even among non-overweight Americans.

Also, the guidelines strongly recommend that people should shift to a healthier diet composed largely of fruits, vegetables, and whole wheat. Other important dietary suggestions include cutting back on salt-laden and saturated fat-filled foods but fell short of advising people to stay away from processed meat which is linked to certain types of cancer.

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